USDT Yield Innovation: Etherfi’s Liquid Reserve Vault Bridges DeFi Accessibility for U.S. Investors

In a significant stride toward mainstream DeFi adoption, Etherfi has unveiled a Liquid Reserve Vault specifically designed for American users, centering on USD-pegged stablecoins like USDT and USDC. This vault is engineered to provide competitive, USD-denominated yields by leveraging Morpho's permissionless lending protocol, with operational infrastructure managed by Midas for U.S. compliance and client servicing. A core innovation of this solution is its direct addressal of a major hurdle in Ethereum's ecosystem: the capital lockup inherent in Proof-of-Stake (PoS) staking. By integrating liquid staking through eETH tokens, the vault allows users' assets to remain productive and liquid. The eETH tokens automatically compound staking rewards, enabling participants to earn yields on their stablecoin holdings without sacrificing liquidity or facing the traditional staking lock-up periods. This development, as of early 2026, represents a pivotal convergence of liquid staking, decentralized finance yield strategies, and regulatory-conscious product structuring. It effectively lowers the barrier to entry for U.S.-based investors seeking exposure to crypto-native yields while mitigating the opportunity cost and illiquidity typically associated with direct ETH staking. The vault's focus on major stablecoins like USDT provides a familiar and stable entry point, potentially catalyzing greater institutional and retail capital flow into the DeFi yield landscape. This MOVE by Etherfi signals a maturation phase for DeFi, where user experience, regulatory navigation, and capital efficiency are becoming paramount, setting a new benchmark for accessible and sophisticated yield-generating products in the American digital asset market.

Etherfi Expands DeFi Access with U.S. Liquid Reserve Vault

Etherfi has launched a Liquid Reserve Vault for American users, offering USD-denominated returns on USDT and USDC holdings. The vault leverages Morpho's permissionless lending protocol to generate competitive yields, utilizing Midas infrastructure for U.S. clients.

The solution addresses Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake capital lockup challenge by enabling liquid staking via EETH tokens, which auto-compound rewards while maintaining liquidity. This move expands Etherfi's DeFi-native vault ecosystem, combining staking rewards with flexible access.

Binance Adds Ripple's RLUSD Stablecoin with Zero-Fee Trading Promotion

Binance will list Ripple’s dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD, offering zero trading fees initially. The Ethereum-based ERC-20 version launches first, trading against XRP and USDT, with XRPL network support expected later.

RLUSD’s supply recently surged to a record $1.4B, backed by USD reserves and short-term Treasuries. Binance’s move signals growing liquidity support for emerging stablecoins beyond market leaders.

The exchange may include RLUSD in its Earn program, potentially boosting yield opportunities. Traders gain access to spot, arbitrage, and Leveraged markets—a strategic expansion of Binance’s stablecoin offerings amid intensifying competition.

Bitcoin Reclaims Payments Crown in 2025 as Litecoin Surges to Third Place

Bitcoin regained its dominance in cryptocurrency payments during 2025, capturing 22.10% of transactions on CoinGate’s platform. The resurgence marks a reversal from 2024, when Tether’s USDT held the top spot. Litecoin emerged as a dark horse, securing third place with 14.40% of payments—bolstered by its blockchain’s speed and cost efficiency.

Ethereum and TRON showed notable growth, with TRX payments climbing from 9.1% to 11.5% and ETH from 8.9% to 10.6%. The data underscores shifting merchant preferences amid evolving layer-1 capabilities.